I was a cancer researcher/biochemist whose 2 young children succumbed to chronic, devastating, mysterious health problems. It overthrew my whole paradigm of ethical medical practice/healthcare. I went on a personal mission to cure them and for years, was entrenched in high stress, deep grief, exhausting shadow boxing, focusing on the destination, ignoring the journey. I decided to change and just do what I can and be a relaxing, present mother to my children instead.
I made Cinderella's doll house in 2010 without knowing how to make dolls to populate it at first. I soon encountered needle-felting at Waldorf School of Orange County in Costa Mesa, California where Christine Newell taught our craft group how to needle felt. I learned for fun and then was hooked by this versatile, fun and natural medium.
My children made wonderful daily progress with specialized diets, years of therapies, careful environmental modifications, patience and more. I continue crafting to heal myself from the trauma of it all. You can read our Castle of Costa Mesa Craft Blog here.
I think it's wonderful that you have been able to use your craft as a therapeutic tool to help you to deal with such difficult circumstances. It really comes across in your work that crafting is a way of life for you, and not just something that you do.
So many of us struggle to fit our crafting time in around our work and family, yet you seem to have formed an incredible bond with your daughter by involving her with your work. She is an amazing needle felter! How old was she when began needle felting?
Hmmm... I don't remember exactly - I think she was 7 or 8 when I allowed her to begin needle-felting. In the Waldorf education way of thinking, it is preferable delay starting needle-felting work which is very focused and fine motor practice, until the child has adequately developed her other more developmentally appropriate faculties first. It was hard to wait because she really wanted to join me in felting, and I succumbed to her request.
What was the first thing you ever needle felted? And were you happy with the result?
Hmm... I think it was a doll. When I first experimented, the head was very hard to make - too soft and would cave in as I added eyes and mouth; the arms were unravelling and coming apart, the wool was loose or the pipe cleaner would jut out and impale anyone who would hold it. I went back and forth with sewing small fabric dolls instead of needle felting because I could not make a satisfactory needle felted figure.
That sounds familiar! I think we have all experienced similar struggles at some point! How did you overcome those issues? Was it just trial and error until you found what worked, or did you attend more classes?
I diligently paid attention to projects that worked and tried to understand what they did right. Fiona Duthie wrote a tutorial on how to make a gnome and that showed me how to wrap doll arms with thin layers of wool top instead of my old way of wrapping with thick wool batting, then jab the arms to make them smaller, in the process breaking my needles. Truthfully, my not knowing did not stop me from bungling and making dolls, they were less polished but I kept making them and improved along the way. I wanted to make fairy tale dolls for children with sweet faces like Sybille Adolphi's Hansel in her book, "making fairy tale scenes". My inspiration for fairy tale scenes came from the copious fairy tales read to me by my mother during childhood
There are so many different types of fibres that can be used in Needle Felting, depending on the type of project. What is your favourite fibre & why?
Peace Fleece's wool batts are very rich in color and easy to use. Felt alive has nice skin color batts (and more) that makes it easy to craft. Presently I am crazy in love with kid mohair locks, they inspire me. Dyeing For Colour, a Canadian shop on Etsy has really nice fibres. I love all fibres and love to find out new and unusual fibres and thinking up the best places to use them. I like to support small farms and local business whenever possible.
What are your favourite needles to use? I personally mostly use 38 gauge star and 40 triangle more than any others. I also found that fine crown needles (where the barb is right on the tip) are great for adding tiny details and really fine sculpting.
36 and 38 regular and spiral work well for me. I love my clover felting pen. Occasionally, I may use my 40T spiral needle.
What is the one piece of advice that you would give to someone who is just starting to learn needle felting?
Enjoy! It is hard to make mistakes in felting. This is a very versatile and forgiving medium. If you don't like how something looks, you can always lift it up and move it around.
I wholeheartedly agree!
My last question for you Jzin, is what does 2016 have in store for you? Do you have any upcoming projects/workshops/promotions that you would like to tell us about?
Well, I have plenty of great projects and workshops. I will be posting them on my Blog CastleofCostaMesa.Com
If you would like to find out more about Castle of Costa Mesa & the beautiful needle felted artwork that Jzin & her Daughter create you can find everything you need to know here:
Castle of Costa Mesa.Com Fairy Tale Dolls, Handmade with love -
Workshops
Instagram or search #castleofcostamesa
Facebook - Please 'Like' to see offers for Seasonal Handmade Giveaways
Gallery of Waldorf School of Orange County, California Craft Group Projects
Google+
Twitter @ahjzin
Jzin's Fine Art works on Facebook
And of course, you can view all for sale items in the Castle of Costa Mesa Etsy Shop
Jzin, Thank you so much. It's been a pleasure to speak with you and to gain a little more insight into the magical world of Castle of Costa Mesa and the inspiration behind it.
- Lisa.
